Monday, May 21, 2012

Report from the Bolt Hole, May 21, 2012

Okay, so Terry and I went shopping today and got all the things we needed to stock the trailer and the Bolt Hole for an extended stay. That included the cable to repair the garage door. On our way back, we also stopped and got some chicken wings for lunch.

After lunch I went out to install the new cable and that got done lickety split. Then I tried starting the ATV again.

Under the heading: "It's always something." The ATV would not start. The battery is fully charged, the fuel is clean (no water) and it coughed once or twice before there was a "PING" and that was it. After that there was a rapid "click, click, click, click..." whenever I pushed the start button. I've heard that sound before and knew there was a problem with the starter relay and that it needed to be replaced. Sooooo....I tore the innards apart to get the starter out. Then went on line to find a Yamaha dealer who might have the part. The closest dealer (Utica) is closed on Monday. The second closest--still 40 miles away--was open and I made the call.

After we figured out what year my Pro Hauler was sold (1989), and based on my description of the problem and the part, he was able to determine what part number he needed to be looking for in his system. Of course, he didn't have the part in stock. I would have been surprised if he did as the Pro Hauler was only marketed for one year. He could, however, order the part (apparently Yamaha still makes that particular part which is a relief and a far cry from the support you can get from Microsoft for outdated software and such) and will hold on to it when it comes in. He'll email me when he gets it and I can get it when I come back from Portland or, time permitting, as we swing back from Cape Cod in two weeks.

While I can't get the ATV running immediately, it is comforting to know that the part I need is available and I should be able to get it going when I return and need to use it.

******

After ordering my part, I needed to take a walk into the woods to dispose of the chicken bones from our lunch. I walked down the side of the barn with the bag in hand and got stopped short when I rounded the end of the barn by the growl of a Momma gray fox who didn't like me showing up so unplanned. She hustled her little kits under the back end of the garage post haste and continued to growl at me as she too backed into her little den. I made sure to give them a wide berth as I headed out into the woods but snuck back in on my return. Mom was no where to be seen but the kits had started to come out again to play a bit. I saw three of them, each about a foot long and still full of pepper and baby fat. One tried to wrestle its sib to the ground but lost its head lock attempt and ended up under instead of over its sibling. Not wanting to disturb then further--and since it was starting to rain--I quietly headed to the cabin. Of course, I didn't have a camera in hand at the time.

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